Jawahir al-Balagha by Ahmad al-Hashimi (جواهر البلاغة) — Page 9

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَأَمَّا بِاعْتِبَارِ الْبَدِيعِ فَلَا يُقَالُ إِنَّهُ فَصِيحٌ وَلَا بَلِيغٌ لِأَنَّ الْبَدِيعَ أَمْرٌ خَارِجِيٌّ يُرَادُ بِهِ تَحْسِينُ الْكَلَامِ لَا غَيْرُ.

As for rhetorical ornamentation, one cannot call it eloquent or articulate, as it is merely an external device intended solely to embellish speech.

إِذَا تَقَرَّرَ ذَلِكَ وَجَبَ عَلَى طَالِبِ الْبَيَانِ أَنْ يَعْرِفَ قَبْلَ الشُّرُوعِ فِيهِ مَعْرِفَةَ مَعْنَى الْفَصَاحَةِ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ

Once this is established, a student of rhetoric must grasp the meaning of eloquence and articulation before proceeding further.

لِأَنَّهُمَا مِحْوَرُهُ وَإِلَيْهِمَا مَرْجِعُ أَبْحَاثِهِ، فَهُمَا الْغَايَةُ الَّتِي يَقِفُ عِنْدَهَا الْمُتَكَلِّمُ وَالْكَاتِبُ، وَالضَّالَّةُ الَّتِي يَنْشُدَانِهَا،

These concepts form the axis around which all such study revolves. They are the ultimate goal for every speaker and writer, the prize they both seek.

وَمَا عَقَدَ أَئِمَّةُ الْبَيَانِ الْفُصُولَ، وَلَا بَوَّبُوا الْأَبْوَابَ إِلَّا بُغْيَةَ أَنْ يُوقِفُوا الْمُسْتَرْشِدَ عَلَى تَحْقِيقَاتٍ وَمُلَاحَظَاتٍ وَضَوَابِطَ،

Masters of rhetoric organized their chapters and sections solely to guide the learner through the necessary investigations, observations, and principles.

إِذَا رُوعِيَتْ فِي خِطَابِهِ أَوْ كِتَابِهِ بَلَغَتِ الْحَدَّ الْمَطْلُوبَ مِنْ سُهُولَةِ الْفَهْمِ، وَإِيجَادِ الْأَثَرِ الْمَقْصُودِ فِي نَفْسِ السَّامِعِ وَاتَّصَفَتْ مِنْ ثَمَّ بِصِفَةِ الْفَصَاحَةِ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ.

When these principles are applied to one's speech or writing, the work achieves the desired clarity and leaves the intended impact on the listener, thereby earning the qualities of eloquence and articulation.

السَّمْعُ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ الْحَسَنُ، وَمَا كَرِهَهُ فَهُوَ الْقَبِيحُ

What the ear finds pleasing is good, while what it rejects is ugly.

وَالْحَسَنُ هُوَ الْمَوْصُوفُ بِالْفَصَاحَةِ - وَالْقَبِيحُ غَيْرُ مَوْصُوفٍ بِالْفَصَاحَةِ لِأَنَّهُ ضِدُّهَا لِمَكَانِ قُبْحِهِ.

The good is what we call eloquent, whereas the ugly cannot be, as its very nature is the antithesis of eloquence.

يَرَى الْإِمَامُ عَبْدُ الْقَاهِرِ الْجُرْجَانِيُّ وَجَمْعٌ مِنَ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ أَنَّ الْفَصَاحَةَ وَالْبَلَاغَةَ وَالْبَيَانَ وَالْبَرَاعَةَ أَلْفَاظٌ مُتَرَادِفَةٌ لَا تَتَّصِفُ بِهَا الْمُفْرَدَاتُ،

Imam Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani and several early scholars viewed eloquence, rhetoric, clarity, and skill as synonymous terms that do not apply to individual words.

وَإِنَّمَا يُوصَفُ بِهَا الْكَلَامُ بَعْدَ تَحَرِّي مَعَانِي النَّحْوِ فِيمَا بَيْنَ الْكَلِمِ حَسَبَ الْأَغْرَاضِ الَّتِي يُصَاغُ لَهَا.

Rather, these terms describe speech only after the grammatical relationships between words have been carefully arranged to suit the intended purpose.

وَقَالَ أَبُو هِلَالٍ الْعَسْكَرِيُّ فِي كِتَابِ الصِّنَاعَتَيْنِ - الْفَصَاحَةُ وَالْبَلَاغَةُ تَرْجِعَانِ إِلَى مَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ وَإِنِ اخْتَلَفَ أَصْلَاهُمَا لِأَنَّ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا إِنَّمَا هُوَ الْإِبَانَةُ عَنِ الْمَعْنَى وَالْإِظْهَارُ لَهُ.

Abu Hilal al-Askari stated in The Two Crafts that eloquence and rhetoric ultimately share the same meaning, despite their different origins, as both serve to clarify and reveal meaning.

وَقَالَ الرَّازِيُّ فِي نِهَايَةِ الْإِيجَازِ - وَأَكْثَرُ الْبُلَغَاءِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يُفَرِّقُونَ بَيْنَ الْفَصَاحَةِ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ

Al-Razi noted in The End of Brevity that most rhetoricians barely distinguish between the two.

وَقَالَ الْجَوْهَرِيُّ فِي كِتَابِ الصِّحَاحِ - الْفَصَاحَةُ هِيَ الْبَلَاغَةُ.

Al-Jawhari wrote in Al-Sihah that eloquence is rhetoric.

Vocabulary · المفردات (27 verbs · 66 nouns)

• قَالَ — to say
• أَرَادَ — to want
• حَسَّنَ — to improve
• تَقَرَّرَ — to be established
• وَجَبَ — to be necessary
• عَرَفَ — to know
• شَرَعَ — to begin
• وَقَفَ — to stand
• نَشَدَ — to seek
• عَقَدَ — to hold
• بَوَّبَ — to classify
• أَوْقَفَ — to guide/inform
• رَاعَى — to observe
• بَلَغَ — to reach
• قَصَدَ — to intend
• اِتَّصَفَ — to be characterized
• كَرِهَ — to hate
• وَصَفَ — to describe
• رَأَى — to see
• تَحَرَّى — to investigate
• صَاغَ — to formulate
• رَجَعَ — to return
• اِخْتَلَفَ — to differ
• أَبَانَ — to clarify
• أَظْهَرَ — to show
• كَادَ — to be on the verge of
• فَرَّقَ — to distinguish
• تَمْهِيدٌ — preface
• اعْتِبَارٌ — consideration
• بَدِيعٌ — rhetorical innovation
• فَصِيحٌ — eloquent
• بَلِيغٌ — articulate
• أَمْرٌ — matter
• خَارِجِيٌّ — external
• تَحْسِينٌ — improvement
• كَلَامٌ — speech
• طَالِبٌ — student
• بَيَانٌ — clarity
• شُرُوعٌ — beginning
• مَعْرِفَةٌ — knowledge
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• فَصَاحَةٌ — eloquence
• بَلَاغَةٌ — rhetoric
• مِحْوَرٌ — axis
• مَرْجِعٌ — reference
• بَحْثٌ — research
• غَايَةٌ — goal
• مُتَكَلِّمٌ — speaker (male)
• كَاتِبٌ — writer (male)
• ضَالَّةٌ — lost object
• إِمَامٌ — leader (male)
• فَصْلٌ — chapter
• بَابٌ — section/chapter
• بُغْيَةٌ — aim
• مُسْتَرْشِدٌ — seeker of guidance (male)
• تَحْقِيقٌ — verification
• مُلَاحَظَةٌ — observation
• ضَابِطٌ — rule
• خِطَابٌ — discourse
• كِتَابٌ — book
• حَدٌّ — limit
• مَطْلُوبٌ — required (male)
• سُهُولَةٌ — ease
• فَهْمٌ — understanding
• إِيجَادٌ — creation
• أَثَرٌ — effect
• مَقْصُودٌ — intended
• نَفْسٌ — soul
• سَامِعٌ — listener
• صِفَةٌ — quality
• سَمْعٌ — hearing
• حَسَنٌ — good (male)
• قَبِيحٌ — ugly
• مَوْصُوفٌ — described
• ضِدٌّ — opposite
• مَكَانٌ — place
• قُبْحٌ — ugliness
• جَمْعٌ — group
• مُتَقَدِّمٌ — predecessor (male)
• بَرَاعَةٌ — skill
• لَفْظٌ — word
• مُتَرَادِفٌ — synonymous
• مُفْرَدَةٌ — vocabulary item
• نَحْوٌ — grammar
• كَلِمٌ — words
• غَرَضٌ — purpose
• صِنَاعَةٌ — craft
• أَصْلٌ — origin
• إِبَانَةٌ — clarification
• إِظْهَارٌ — manifestation
• نِهَايَةٌ — end
• إِيجَازٌ — brevity
• صِحَاحٌ — correctness